StreetsPAC: Vote Mamdani For Mayor

Just in time for tonight’s mayoral debate, the street safety movement has spoken: Vote for Zohran.

On Wednesday, StreetsPAC, the only political action committee dedicated to street safety, called on voters to choose Queens Assembly Member — and Democratic nominee — Zohran Mamdani in the Nov. 4 general election.

The 34-year-old lawmaker will “bring a transformative new era of pro-safe streets, pro-public transit leadership to City Hall,” the group said in its endorsement, which cited Mamdani’s commitment to public transit users and his decision to make “fast and free” buses a major pillar of his campaign. 

Mamdani got the crucial StreetsPAC endorsement by spearheading the fare-free bus pilot program while in the Assembly, which resulted in a 30-plus-percent increase in ridership on affected routes. He is also a strong supporter of congestion pricing and has not been afraid to call the program a success.

If Mamdani wins, he will be taking over for an administration that has delayed, denied and demoted numerous promised street safety improvements. Mayor Adams ripped out a protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue, watered down a road diet on McGuinness Boulevard after a top-aide allegedly took bribes from a powerful local film studio, won’t finish a redesign on Ashland Place because of real estate meddling, and has been denying the Bronx bus improvements.

“Of great note, Mr. Mamdani has pledged to complete a lengthy list of street-safety and transit projects that foundered or were outright abandoned by the current administration,” the endorsement stated. 

StreetsPAC said it believes Mamdani will energize the Department of Transportation and bring optimism to an agency that has been used to do Mayor Adams’s political bidding.

“Mr. Mamdani is a smart, charismatic leader who clearly loves New York City and sees it as a place of opportunity and possibility, the antithesis of the doom-and-gloom, broken-city vibes promulgated by the current occupants of Gracie Mansion – and the White House,” the endorsement stated.

Mamdani and his rivals, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican standard-bearer Curtis Sliwa, will debate tonight on NY1 at 7 p.m.

StreetsPAC also endorsed candidates in other key races in this election cycle. For Comptroller, the group picked Democratic nominee Mark Levine, who is currently the Manhattan Borough President.

In Council District 19, which covers Northeastern Queens, StreetsPAC is endorsing Democrat Benjamin Chou in his quest to unseat Republican incumbent and notorious bike-lane-foe Vicki Paladino.

Chou is a Douglaston-born firefighter positioning himself as the antithesis of Paladino. As a first responder, Chou has witnessed road violence first-hand, which StreetsPAC says gives him a valuable perspective to fight for safer streets in the Council. 

“Mr. Chou believes that there’s much that the City Council can do legislatively to prevent tragedies, something he believes is critical for the people of the 19th Council District, which leads the entire city in traffic deaths,” the endorsement reads.

Chou also supports the completion of the Eastern Queens Greenway, which Paladino has called a “criminal moped highway” and “hostile infrastructure” on her X account. 

And in Council District 13 in the Bronx, StreetsPAC is supporting Democratic challenger Shirley Aldebol in her effort to unseat Republican Kristy Marmorato, who has advocated for more parking in the area. StreetsPAC cites Aldebol’s childhood spent riding three buses to get to school as proof that she will prioritize better public transit for the borough. Aldebol supports congestion pricing and wants to see more bike lanes in the Bronx.

“She told us one of the first things she would do would be to advocate for safe, separate lanes for bikes, scooters, and walking,” the endorsement said. 

For the open Council District 2 seat in Manhattan, StreetsPAC is endorsing Democratic nominee Harvey Epstein, currently an Assembly Member (and hilarious “SNL” meme). And for the open seat of Manhattan Borough President, the group has chosen Democratic nominee Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a state Senator representing the West Side of Manhattan. 

StreetsPAC is also endorsing a slate of Democratic incumbents: 

• Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President 
• Vanessa Gibson, Bronx Borough President 
• Shaun Abreu, Council District 7, Manhattan 
• Erik Bottcher, Council District 3, Manhattan
• Pierina Sanchez, Council District 14, Bronx 
• Shekar Krishnan, Council District 25, Queens 
• Julie Won, Council District 26, Queens
• Lincoln Restler, Council District 33, Brooklyn 
• Crystal Hudson, Council District 35, Brooklyn 
• Alexa Avilés, Council District 38, Brooklyn 
• Shahana Hanif, Council District 39, Brooklyn 
• Rita Joseph, Council District 40, Brooklyn

StreetsPAC is not affiliated in any way with Streetsblog.